Polar Ignite 3 : Battery Life Isn’t Too Bad
When it comes to battery life the Polar Ignite 3 isn’t too bad. It is said that you can get up to 5 days battery life in watch mode, but based on my typical usage I didn’t quite get that.
When ever I do a battery life test, I do two types of tests. The first test is battery economy based on my typical usage (without GPS tracking). The second test is based on GPS battery consumption, which is something that can take a massive toll on the devices battery life.
After completing the battery life tests, I have managed to get around 3-4 days battery life with the Polar Ignite 3. There is a reason why I have two results, which I will explain in detail in this article. Otherwise here is a quick summary of my final results.
| Category | Rating |
| Speciality | Fitness |
| Battery mode | Watch |
| Battery Economy Without GPS Tracking | 1/5 |
| GPS Battery Consumption Rate Per Hour | 5/5 |
| Final Score | 6/10 |
After reflecting on the results, it’s really a mixed bag. Since the Polar Ignite 3 speciality is fitness and workout tracking, it makes sense that the device will perform exceptionally well when it comes to GPS battery consumption. As far as battery economy goes, it’s at a similar level to the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 PRO.
Also in this article, I will show you how I go about testing the device with my own rating system, including how the Polar Ignite 3 ranks against other devices that I have tested in the past.
My Typical Usage
When ever I do a battery life test, my typical usage will always be the same. That way my results are consistent and measured with the same yard stick.
Test 1 : Battery Life Economy
- All day heart rate tracking including sleep tracking
- AOD : 20-25 screen activations
- 50 minutes workout tracking
- 20 messages
Test 2 : GPS Battery Consumption
- 1 hour of GPS tracking
Just so you know, I am not a heavy smart feature user, other wise the results can be very different, so that is why I stick within the test settings for consistent results. Also, I always end the battery life test once the device has used up 90% battery life.
Battery Life Economy is Fairly Low : 1 out of 5
When it comes to battery life economy, I predicted that the battery life economy of the Polar Ignite 3 would be at a similar level as the Polar Pacer. After completing the test, my prediction wasn’t that far off. Here is a final summary of my final results.
| Feature | Result |
| Battery life Economy | 23% per day |
| No of days | 4 |
| Star rating | 1 out of 5 |
In conclusion this is a fair result and the Polar Ignite 3 deserves it’s rating. In comparison to other devices that have the same speciality, the Polar Ignite 3 really falls behind. I will explain what I mean later in the article.
How Do I Rate A Device For Battery Life Economy
Many readers want a black and white answer, and hopefully my rating system can provide this for you. Please note that this is not a industry standard, it’s a system that I created based on the watches that I have tested in the past, then developed star categories. I personally believe it’s necessary, so you can separate the good watch’s from the excellent watch’s.
| No Of Stars | Economy |
| 5 Stars | Up to 6% |
| 4 Stars | 7% – 10% |
| 3 Stars | 11% – 13% |
| 2 Stars | 14% – 16% |
| 1 Star | 17% and over |
How Does The Polar Ignite 3 Rank for Battery Economy
The Polar Ignite 3 does not rate well when it comes to battery economy. Devices with a similar speciality are Forerunner 55, Huawei Watch GT3 PRO, Huawei Watch Fit 2. These devices are good alternatives as they are very heavy in workout tracking and improving running ability.
| Rank | Brand | Series | Specialty | Economy | Stars |
| 1 | Garmin | Forerunner 55 | Multi Sport | 4% | 5 |
| 2 | Fitbit | Inspire 3 | Health | 9% | 4 |
| 3 | Huawei | Watch GT3 Pro | All round | 10% | 4 |
| 4 | Huawei | Watch Fit 2 | All round | 10% | 4 |
| 5 | Huawei | Band 7 | All round | 10% | 4 |
| 6 | Xiaomi | S1 Active | Smart Features | 14% | 2 |
| 7 | Fitbit | Versa 4 | Health | 15% | 2 |
| 8 | Fitbit | Charge 5 | Health | 15% | 2 |
| 9 | Samsung | Galaxy Watch 5 Pro | Smart Features | 17% | 1 |
| 10 | Huawei | Watch GT3 | All round | 18% | 1 |
| 11 | Polar | Ignite 3 | Fitness | 23% | 1 |
| 12 | Samsung | Galaxy Watch 5 | Smart Features | 25% | 1 |
| 13 | Samsung | Galaxy Watch 6 Classic | Smart Features | 30% | 1 |
GPS Battery Consumption is Fantastic : 5 out of 5
Anyone that does a lot of GPS tracking knows that it can take a massive toll on a smart watch’s battery life, which is why I like to provide it’s own dedicated test results. My early predictions for the Polar Ignite 3 would be very similar to the Polar pacer, and after the test results, I was right.
To be honest it’s a fair expectation, since the Polar Ignite 3’s speciality is tracking workouts, and a lot of devices that I have tested in the past with a similar speciality, performed exceptionally well. Here is a summary of my final test results.
| Feature | Result |
| GPS battery consumption | 6% per hour |
During this test, I was using the default battery mode, so I just want you to know that. The Polar Ignite 3 does have a power savings mode so I will provide those results in another article in future.
How Do I Rate a Device For GPS Battery Consumption
Please note that this is a rating system that I have created on my own. The rating table is based on the number of devices that I have tested in the past so you can say that it’s based off what’s out there in the market.
| No Of Stars | Economy |
| 5 Stars | Up to 6% |
| 4 Stars | 7% – 10% |
| 3 Stars | 11% – 13% |
| 2 Stars | 14% – 16% |
| 1 Star | 17% and over |
How Does The Polar Ignite 3 Rate in The Market
Any device that has a GPS battery consumption of 7% or less are fantastic devices when it comes to GPS tracking. Polar Ignite 3’s competition is in the top tier device’s which is Huawei GT3 PRO, Huawei Watch Fit 2 and Garmin Forerunner 55 are in that group.
| No | Brand/Smart Watch | Consumption Rate | Star Rating |
| 1 | Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro | 5% | 5 |
| 2 | Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 Classic | 5% | 5 |
| 3 | Garmin Forerunner 55 | 5% | 5 |
| 4 | Huawei Watch Fit 2 | 5% | 5 |
| 5 | Xiaomi S1 Active | 5% | 5 |
| 6 | Huawei Watch GT3 Pro | 6% | 5 |
| 7 | Huawei Watch GT3 (power saver mode) | 6% | 5 |
| 8 | Polar Ignite 3 | 6% | 5 |
| 9 | Fitbit Versa 4 | 7% | 4 |
| 10 | Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 & 4 | 9% | 4 |
| 11 | Huawei Watch GT3 (performance mode) | 13% | 3 |
| 12 | Fitbit Charge 5 | 20-22% | 1 |
GPS Battery Economy and Battery Economy
Earlier in the article I mentioned that I get around 3 days battery life, and the table below is an example why.
| Feature | Result |
| Battery life Economy | 23% per day |
| GPS battery consumption | 6% per hour |
| Total battery consumption | 29% |
| No of days | 3 days |
Final Conclusion
Thank you so much for reading my article and I hope you learnt a lot about the Polar Ignite 3’s battery life. Battery life is a very competitive category and for anyone to have the best user experience, battery life is key to having a good experience.
Does it really matter that the Polar Ignite 3 has a very low battery economy? in my experience no, because based on my typical usage without GPS tracking I can get close to 4 days battery life. However it does deserve it’s rating of 1 out of 5 for battery economy because some smart watch’s can last 12-14 days, so that’s why it has a one star rating.
As for GPS battery consumption, I wasn’t surprised that the Polar Ignite 3 would get a five star rating. I have found that any devices that is very heavy in tracking workouts at basic, intermediate or advanced level will always have a five star rating. However, Polar Ignite 3 has a power saver mode so I will be doing a future article on this as well.
